asked the President of the Board of Trade to make a statement on the progress of trade discussions with Czechoslovakia.

1 am not yet in a position to add to the Answer which my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Board of Trade, gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler) on 17th April.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the increasing number of new United States built motor cars in this country; and on what grounds he has licensed the expenditure of dollars for this purpose.

Imports of cars from the United States and Canada for general sale within the United Kingdom are restricted to 650 cars a year. This quota was established at the end of 1954 in the interests of good trading relations with our North American friends. Many of the American cars seen in this country belong to United States Service men, businessmen, tourists and diplomats.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total value of the imports of leather and leather goods in the United Kingdom for 1953, 1954, and 1955; and what import duty is imposed on such goods.

:£19·5 million, £18·7 million and £18·8 million in 1953, 1954 and 1955 respectively. These figures relate to imports of leather dressed and undressed and all leather manufactures, other than apparel, footwear and sports goods. The rates of Customs duty chargeable on leather and leather goods, imported from foreign sources, range from 7½ per cent. to 22½ per cent. ad valorem, with alternative specific rates in some cases.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to make a statement about the statutory review of the Cotton Board recently carried out under Article 8 of the Industrial Organisation and Development Act, 1947.

Yes. After consultation with the Cotton Board and with representative organisations in the cotton industry, I have decided that the Cotton Board should continue in being on the existing basis. Discussions are still going on about certain small modifications which have been proposed in the methods of assessment of the Cotton Board's levies and it is possible that a draft Order to give effect to certain changes may later be submitted to Parliament for approval.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what reply he has sent to the letter from the London Federation of Brotherhoods and Sisterhoods regretting that the Premium Bonds scheme runs counter to the ideals of thrift, economy and sacrifice in the altruistic service of the community;(2) what reply he has made to the representations made to him on behalf of the British Council of Churches in regard to Premium Bonds.

My right hon. Friend has replied drawing attention to the statement that he made in the debate on the Budget proposals on 23rd April.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the average percentage increase since 1949 in wages and salaries, dividends and ordinary shares, and the share value of ordinary shares.

Between 1949 and 1955 wages and salaries increased by 54 per cent. Ordinary dividends paid by companies which were not nationalised at any time during the period increased between 1949 and 1955 by 73 per cent. There are no official statistics which measure the changes in the prices of ordinary shares.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury the Purchase Tax yield on sales of wool piece-goods coming under group 6 during the financial year ended 31st March, 1956.

The yield is estimated to be about £2 million.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury the respective volume and/or value of wool cloth and non-wool cloth, as defined for Purchase Tax purposes, sold over the counter in the most recent convenient period.

1 regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury (1) the number of persons or firms carrying on a business of dressmaking; how many of these are registered for Purchase Tax; and how many have not been required to register although their turnover exceeds £500 per annum;(2) the number of persons or firms carrying on a business of tailoring; and how many have not been required to register although their turnover exceeds £500 per annum.

No precise figures are available. The total number of persons or firms carrying on a business of making outer garments (including bespoke tailors and dressmakers) is estimated from the 1951 Census of Production at about 10,000. Firms employing more than ten persons number about 2,500 in tailoring and 1,200 in dressmaking; it is not possible to make a similar division in the case of the smaller firms.Of the total about half are registered for Purchase Tax. The rest consist mainly of the smaller tailors. The number of dressmakers liable to registration who have not been registered is very small.

asked the Chancellor of of the Exchequer the balance of income left after Income Tax and Surtax to a single man, a married man, and a married man with two children on incomes of £400, £1,000, £2,000, £3,000, £4,000, and £5,000, respectively. in 1938, and in 1955–56.

The figures are given in the following table

Gross income (all earned)	Net income after Income Tax and Surtax
	At 1938–39 rates*	At 1955–56 rates
Single man—	£	£
£400	365	367
£1,000	833	789
£2,000	1,586	1,458
£3,000	2,249	1,923
£4,000	2,864	2,323
£5,000	3,424	2,673
Married man (no children)—
£400	387	391
£1,000	855	831
£2,000	1,608	1,501
£3,000	2,271	1,966
£4,000	2,886	2,366
£5,000	3,446	2,716
Married man (two children)—
£400	398	400
£1,000	888	915
£2,000	1,641	1,586
£3,000	2,304	2,051
£4,000	2,919	2,451
£5,000	3,479	2,801
* Income Tax for 1938–39 and Surtax for 1937–38, as fixed by the Finance Act, 1938.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the sections that come under the head of salaries in the national income and expenditure figures in addition to the Civil Service and teachers; and whether company directors are included.

The distinction in the national income and expenditure figures between wage-earners and salary earners is derived principally from that used in the Census of Production; salary earners are broadly those classified in the Census of Production as "administrative, technical and clerical employees". Salary earners thus include managers, superintendents and works foremen; research, experimental, development, technical and design employees other than operatives; draughtsmen and tracers; travellers and office (including works office) employees. Shop assistants are not regarded as salary earners. Directors' fees are regarded as salaries.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for how many experimental farms under 100 acres he is at present responsible.

None. A farm of less than 100 acres would not provide sufficient space for a series of field experiments with crops and livestock. As distinct from experimental work, the demonstration of good farming practices is best done on commercial farms and suitable units of various sizes are selected by the N.A.A.S. for this purpose. As regards the economic aspects of farming my present policy is to concentrate on farm management advice rather than to establish demonstration farms.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he is to advise the appropriate local authorities of the provisions of the Agriculture (Improvement of Roads) Act, 1955.

I hope to issue a memorandum of guidance to the local authorities concerned at an early date.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what forecast his Department has made of the yield of potatoes for 1956 and how this forecast compares with the yields of previous years.

Estimates of yields of main crop potatoes cannot be made before August because so much depends upon the weather during the summer.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has yet received a Report from the Reorganisation Commission for Pigs and Bacon.

1 would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for St. Ives (Mr. G. R. Howard) on 3rd May.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why provision is made in his Department's Estimates for the expenditure of £1,800,000 on guaranteed prices for Australian meat; and the expenditure for the financial year 1955–56.

The provision is made because it is expected that the prices realised by Australian meat during the current year will fall short of the minimum prices guaranteed under the Meat Agreement with Australia. The expenditure for the financial year 1955–56 was £122,000.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to make a statement on the Report of the Panel on Composition and Nutritive Value of Flour.

Yes. The Report of the Panel on Composition and Nutritive Value of Flour is to be published today.The main conclusion of the panel is that the available evidence does not revealany ascertainable difference between National flour as defined in the Flour Order, 1953, and flours of extraction rateless than National flour, to which vitamin B

asked the Minister of Labour what advice has been given by his regional advisers on joint consultation to firms in the motor industry on the problems arising from the introduction of new machinery.

In their contacts with firms in the motor industry over the past four years, the personnel management advisers on the staff of my Department have discussed or given advice on a wide variety of questions, many of which have a bearing on the problems arising from the introduction of new machinery.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give details of alternative employment available for workmen made redundant at Birtley Royal Ordnance Factory.

Skilled men should have little difficulty in obtaining alternative employment, and within daily travelling distance of Birtley there are at present some 300 notified vacancies for unskilled men.

asked the Minister of Labour what further consideration has been given to the question of ratifying the International Labour Convention concerning holidays with pay in agriculture.

The Government have re-examined this matter. Existing practice in the United Kingdom, based in Great Britain upon the decisions of the agricultural wages boards and in Northern Ireland upon current agricultural wages legislation, fully conforms with the provisions of the Convention. Accordingly, the Government have decided that, in present circumstances, they can ratify the Convention and they propose to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the terms of the inscription on the wreath laid on the Cenotaph by the N.T.S. which was later removed by the police.

The inscription, in English and Russian was:

"From the Russian Revolutionary Underground—N.T.S."

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any inscriptions on wreaths laid on the Cenotaph by foreign organisations, other than the N.T.S., were removed by the police during the month of April this year.

I am informed by the Commissioner of Police that no other inscriptions from wreaths laid by foreign organisations were removed by the police during the period in question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to state the number of aliens who have come to this country with the ostensible purpose of getting free treatment under the National Health Service in each of the years 1950 to 1955, inclusive.

Aliens are not normally allowed to enter the country for the sole purpose of obtaining free medical treatment. I regret that there are no statistics to show the numbers who have sought to do so or who have been granted or refused permission.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision is being made in prison estimates to provide modern office accommodation for staff employed in prisons, borstals, and detention centres.

The Prisons Vote for 1956–7 includes provision for the completion of new office accommodation at Wormwood Scrubbs, North Sea Camp, Exeter and Wandsworth.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is prepared to undertake responsibility for the provision and maintenance of all office accommodation in the Prison Commission.

I am already responsible to this House for all functions of the Prison Commissioners.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long the office staff at Dartmoor Prison have been required to work in accommodation known to be in an advanced state of decay; and how soon they are likely to be rehoused in office accommodation of modern design.

It has been recognised since 1953 that extensive renovation would be needed to cure dampness in the offices and other parts of the prison. One office has been done. As regards the remainder, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne (Mr. Hayman) on 19th April.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the female clerical staff, now occupying cell accommodation for their work in a prison wing at Wormwood Scrubs, will be accommodated elsewhere; and how long it is since the staff representatives first drew attention to this problem.

In about six weeks. The staff representatives raised the matter in October, 1952.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many known murders were committed in England and Wales during the months of March and April, 1956, 1955, 1954, 1953 and 1952, respectively.

The number of suspected murders which came to the knowledge of the police in England and Wales during the months in question were as follows:

Year	March	April	Total
1952	19	19	38
1953	17	13	30
1954	19	15	34
1955	22	15	37
1956	17	12	29

These figures relate to the number of persons killed and include cases in which the offender was ultimately found guilty of an offence other than murder, i.e. manslaughter or infanticide or was found insane on arraignment.

asked the Minister of Education what were the special reasons for the failure of education authorities in Surrey, Kent, Middlesex, Staffordshire, Lancashire and Birmingham to start, respectively, 35, 23, 21 20, 14, and 14 schools which he had approved in their building programmes for 1955–56; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the children in these areas do not suffer a higher degree of overcrowding as a result.

The chief reason in all cases has been a shortage of the professional staff needed to carry out an enlarged building programme. Most of the projects in question should be able to start within the next few months.

asked the Minister of Education how many school projects were included in the original 1956–57 building programme; and when he expects to be able to tell local authorities how many of them will be deferred as a result of their inability to start 330 projects included in the 1955–56 programme.

There were 774 major primary and secondary school projects in the 1956–57 building programme. I cannot say how many of these will have to be deferred.

asked the Minister of Education why he has refused to recommend the issue of loan sanction in respect of the cost of providing a community centre in Silverdale, Newcastle-under-Lyme.

It is the Government's policy not to sanction loans for the time being for capital projects which can be deferred without risk to health or safety or other vital interests.

asked the Minister of Education what action he proposes to take in order to advise schoolchildren of the dangers associated with smoking.

A new edition of my Department's handbook on Health Education, containing suggestions for teachers, will be published shortly, and will include a passage on this matter.

asked the Minister of Education for what reasons, other than reduction of expenditure, he proposes to discontinue the supply of milk to school children at weekends and holidays, and to reduce the quantity supplied to children in nursery schools.

Most pupils taking school milk at weekends are at independent boarding schools. Very few children from other schools attend the special centres open on Saturdays and during holidays, and these centres are expensive to administer. There is no good reason why pupils in nursery schools should have a larger allowance than pupils under five in nursery classes and ordinary classes.

asked the Minister of Education, in view of the large supplies of potatoes now available, if he will advise educational authorities that there is no longer any need to cut down the consumption of this necessary foodstuff.

No. My right hon. Friend's advice to local education authorities holds good until there is an assurance of a continuing supply of potatoes at reasonable prices.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what proposals Her Majesty's Government have received from the Government of the Union of South Africa affecting the status of the High Commission Territories.

Her Majesty's Government have received no such proposals recently. Their attitude in this matter remains as stated by the then Prime Minister in reply to a Question on 13th April, 1954.

asked the Minister of Works if he will arrange for the best and latest English china to be used in all our embassies throughout the world; and for showcases to be set out in their main rooms containing English china exhibits.

Our embassies are equipped with English china of fine quality with a simple formal design. I really do not think it would be appropriate to provide showcases of exhibits in the way the hon. Member suggests.

asked the Minister of Works if he will arrange that the best and latest English china is used in the future whenever guests are being entertained by the Government or by Departments.

Best quality English china, including a specially designed dinner service, has already been supplied to the Government Hospitality Fund. Departments are supplied with a few tea services of English china of good quality for official entertainment.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when Her Majesty's Government recognised the independent State of Tunisia; and what messages of congratulation were addressed by Her Majesty's Government to His Majesty The Bey and the Prime Minister on that occasion.

Her Majesty's Government publicly announced their formal recognition of Tunisian independence on 10th May. Her Majesty's Government had previously, on 10th April, expressed to the Bey and to the Tunisian Government and people their satisfaction at the successful negotiation of the Protocol of Agreement of 20th March, providing for the independence of Tunisia and the collaboration of France and Tunisia in those matters where their interests are common.I am arranging for the texts of the message and the declaration to be placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why the embargo on trade with China in strategic goods, which was enforced for the Korean war, is still in force; and when it will be lifted.

The embargo is in force pursuant to the United Nations Resolution of May, 1951. As to the administration of the controls, I have nothing to add to the replies given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State on 14th of May to the hon. Members for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler) and Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. Chapman).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement about the financing of the Secretariat of the South-East Asia Treaty Organisation, and the proportion of expenses payable by Her Majesty's Government.

One of the measures designed to strengthen the organisation which was approved by the Council at the meeting held at Karachi on 6th March, 1956, and announced in the communiqué was the establishment of a fulltime executive secretariat to be financed from a common budget. It was agreed that the cost of the common budget for the year ending 31st March, 1957, should be shared by the member countries in equal proportions.Her Majesty's Government are therefore prepared, subject to Parliamentary approval, to contribute one-eighth of these common expenses. Until a formal budget is available, the payments made by the United Kingdom will be regarded as advances on account of its share as finally determined by the Council. An initial advance of the equivalent of $12,000 having been requested from member countries to meet current expenditure, provision for this together with the balance payable will be included in the Supplementary Estimates to be laid before Parliament in July.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action is proposed to meet unemployment in Mauritius.

I am not aware of any exceptional degree of unemployment in the Colony at present which would require special measures to be undertaken by Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what charges Mr. J. F. Sangala, President of the Nyasaland African Congress, and Mr. D. T. Banda, Secretary, have been placed on trial in Zomba.

Mr. Banda has been charged with doing an act with seditious intention in contravention of Section 57 (1) (a) of the Penal Code, by handing a certain document to the Editor of the Nyasaland Times; with publishing a seditious publication in contravention of Section 57 (1) (c) of the Penal Code; and with having in his possession without lawful excuse a seditious publication in contravention of Section 57 (2) of the Penal Code.Mr. Sangala has been charged with counselling Mr. Banda to commit the first two of the offences with which the latter is charged.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how the three African representatives recently co-opted to the Coffee Marketing Board in Kenya were chosen; whether they are Co-operators; and whether they are full members of the board.

I am asking the Governor for this information and will circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many lives were lost in the last twelve months in accidents to passenger-carrying aircraft operated by the nationalised air Corporations and private airline operators, respectively.

During the past twelve months, accidents to Corporation aircraft carrying passengers for hire or reward resulted in the loss of fifteen lives. The corresponding figure in respect of independent airline operators was fifty-three. Of course, no valid conclusion can be drawn from a comparison based on so short a period; for example in the twelve months ended June, 1955, the figures were—Corporations, 28, independent companies. nil.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many passenger-miles were flown in the last twelve months by passenger-carrying aircraft of the nationalised air Corporations and private airline operators, respectively.

Total passenger-miles flown by the air Corporations during the twelve months ended January, 1956, the latest date to which figures are available, were 1,755 million. I do not receive corresponding total figures for the independent companies but, according to the last Annual Report of the British Independent Air Transport Association, independent companies in membership of that Association flew 573 million passenger-miles in the twelve months ended June, 1955. In this period, the figure for the Corporations was 1,570 million.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he is satisfied that adequate arrangements have been made to secure a sufficient flow of trained pilots to meet the likely demands of British civil aviation during the next ten years; how far these arrangements take into account the consequences of the possible ending of National Service should improvements in Regular recruiting permit; and what steps he is taking in conjunction with school and university authorities to make known to potential entrants the opportunities which a career in civil aviation offers.

Responsibility for ensuring that a sufficient number of trained pilots is available to British civil aviation rests with the operators themselves. I have, however, good reason to suppose that enough pilots will be available from Service and other sources to meet estimated needs for at least the next six or seven years. It is not possible to say in advance whether the ending of National Service would adversely affect the supply. I understand that the airline corporations keep school and university authorities informed regarding the career opportunities afforded by civil aviation. A booklet prepared by my Department on the subject has also been widely distributed.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what steps he proposes to take to help to reduce the number of road accidents likely to occur during the Whitsun holiday.

I am joining with local road safety committees and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents in a direct appeal to drivers on some of the main roads to and from holiday resorts. The appeal will be mainly through posters, but banners and roadside displays will also be used.The message for the outward journey is

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will give statistics of the number of traffic accidents caused by lorry-drawn goods trailers since the beginning of the year.

During the first three months of 1956, 140 goods vehicles drawing trailers were involved in accidents resulting in personal injury. I regret that statistics are not readily available showing the factors which, in the opinion of the police, contributed to these accidents. I am, however, arranging for the information to be extracted and will write to my hon. Friend when the details are available.

asked the Minister of Defence what further reductions, following the recently announced reductions in the active strength of the Soviet armed forces, Her Majesty's Government propose to make in the overall Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, including Colonial Forces.

As has already been announced, Her Majesty's Government are engaged in reducing the strength of the United Kingdom Armed Forces to 700,000. Their present strength is some 772,000. which is in itself a reduction of 50.000 from the figure at 1st April last year.Her Majesty's Government welcome the announced intention of the Soviet Government to reduce the strength of the Russian armed forces. They will themselves continue to ensure that the strength of the Forces is no greater than is essential to meet the commitments which they are required to carry out.The primary purpose of Colonial Forces is the maintenance of internal security, and I do not think that reductions in the strength of the Soviet forces are a factor which needs to be taken into account in this context.

asked the Minister of Defence what will be the relative strengths after the lately announced reduction in Soviet forces, between the conventional land forces of the Soviet bloc and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

According to our latest estimates, the Soviet bloc land forces at present comprise nearly 300 divisions of all types, in varying stages of readiness. The N.A.T.O. land forces comprise some 100 divisions also in varying stages of readiness.According to the Russian statement, when the reductions recently announced have been completed, the number of divisions will fall by 63. The strength of the forces in Eastern Germany will, however, be only very slightly reduced.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power (1) if he will include in the proposed legislation in regard to coal mining subsidence damage, protection for tenant farmers claiming compensation for crop damages due to coal mining subsidence;(2) whether he will include in the proposed prospective legislation for the implementation of the Turner Committee Report in regard to coal mining subsidence the recommendations of the committee in regard to agricultural land held by the National Coal Board and for the termination of crop damage free tenancy agreements.

While the details of a Bill are being worked out, I can add little to the statement I made on 16th April in reply to the hon. Members for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler), Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ellis Smith) and Leigh (Mr. Boardman); but the Government do not consider that there are sufficient grounds for transferring land held by the National Coal Board to a Government authority.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will move to appoint a Select Committee of this House to examine and report on the cause of the increases of the cost of coal, and to make recommendations for its correction.

No. Costs have increased in all industries and in so far as there are special features in the costs of mining coal, these have recently been debated by the whole House.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many British troops took part in the recent coronation ceremonies in Nepal; and to what units they belonged.

100 officers and men of the Gurkha Rifles, almost all of whom were on normal leave from Malaya at the time of the ceremony.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will take steps to ensure that, at the review in Hyde Park on 27th June by Her Majesty the Queen, holders of the Victoria Cross, who are incapacitated by age or former wounds, in a number of instances, will not be required to march past but, instead, will be inspected.

This has been done. The invitations sent to holders of the Victoria Cross asked them to say if they would require a wheeled chair. The chairs will be pushed by orderlies from the holders' regiments.